RealGM

both teams that couldnt be more different but also kinda similar in how they took the league by storm with relatively "new" aproaches that exploited traditional teams to the limit through 3 point shooting and small-ish ball lineups

one was a bit of a villain with their less than universally beloved stars and disliked style (rockets) the other more of a hero with the charisma of Stephen curry and the popularity of kerr approach

warriors arguably had more luck even before durant (winning a ring in a year without great and healthy competition ) as compared to rockets who had to face two teams (warriors both) on average even stronger than the thunder/cavs warriors went esaentially even with

which stretch do you think was better in a vacuum? and what if we limit the discussion to 2016 vs 2018?

and for a fun bonus question, which one influence the league more going forward?

i won't necessarily say we were better than 2016 warriors (maybe), but people underrate the fully healthy 2018 rockets (that top 100 teams thing ridiculously had them at #95). 42-3 in the regular season when harden/cp3/capela all played (won their first 25 games with those 3). with the same health as the 2016 warriors, we're certainly challenging for 70 wins. then 8-2 in the 1st 2 rounds of the playoffs. up 3-2 on arguably the most talented roster of all time in the WCF, winning back-to-back gritty defensive efforts for a team more known for its offense. if cp3 doesn't tear his hamstring and we win game 6 or 7, that's a top 10 or 15 team of all time.

warriors arguably changed the league more defensively than anything. both for their own switching style and because the PG shooting 3's off the PnR that wasn't nearly as big before curry forced other teams to start switching everything when other shooters started taking the same approach. i'm not sure anyone really mimics their offense or has the personnel to do so. people certainly mimic the rockets shot chart with all 3's and layups and no mid-range (including this year's warriors), but that was really a trend started several years earlier by morey and the rockets.